Fans couldn't wait to see Divergent stars in Royal Oak

FYI

“Divergent” – based on the best-selling novel of the same name – opens nationwide on Friday, March 21.

The highly anticipated sci-fi thriller “Divergent,” which opens today, has a special connection to Royal Oak.

Around 500 fans converged at the Emagine Royal Oak earlier this month to catch a glimpse of actors Mekhi Phifer and Maggie Q at a red-carpet premiere of “Divergent.”

“We’ve got nothing about love for the D. We don’t care how cold it is, we can feel the warmth of your hearts,” Phifer said before the screening.

On the red carpet, Phifer and Q signed autographs and posed for photos with fans. Phifer even autographed Tristion Hanley’s arm, something the 9-year-old from Waterford thought was “AWESOME!” Hanley vowed to never wash his arm again.

“I’m so blessed to be a part of (this film),” Q said. “You are gonna frickin’ love this movie! (There’s) some wonderful talent in this film.

“To be honest, I saw this film the other week and I freaked out. It’s so much fun. … I felt like it had everything I wanted: It was fun, I was threatened, I was scared, I was emotional, I was cheering. I’m a person who’s very critical of what I do and how I do it and projects I’m involved in. ... It’s a great film!”

“Divergent” is based on the first book of the same name by New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth’s young adult/science-fiction trilogy. Taking place in Chicago in a post-apocalyptic future, people are divided into five factions based on personality: Abnegation, which represents the selfless; Amity, which represents the peaceful; Candor, which represents the honest; Dauntless, which represents the brave; and Erudite, which represents the knowledgeable.

All 16-year-olds must take an aptitude test that will determine which faction they’re best suited to join. After receiving their results, they must decide whether to remain with their family or join a new faction on Choosing Day. If it’s the latter, there’s no going back to their family.

In the case of Beatrice “Tris” Prior (Woodley), who’s born into an Abnegation family and chooses Dauntless – much to her parents’ shock — her test results are inconclusive. Tris doesn’t fit neatly into one faction, which makes her Divergent. Considered dangerous, Divergents live on the fringes of society — if they’re not killed.

An Erudite named Tori Wu (Q) administers Tris’ aptitude test and keeps her divergence secret. She does the same with Four (James), one of the leaders of Dauntless and Tris’ love interest. Tori takes pity on Tris, whose her brother was murdered because he was Divergent.

When Q was asked who’d win if Tori fought the assassin Nikita – the character Q’s best known for — she laughed.

“That’s funny! That’s original! No one’s said that to me. I don’t know the answer to that,” she said. “I have to think about that. We haven’t yet seen Tori’s skills. Maybe after the second one, I can let you know.”

The rest of the story has Tris training with Dauntless, the military arm of the five factions, while keeping quiet about being Divergent. Dauntless leader Max (Phifer) changes the training methods of Dauntless initiates, making them more brutal to test their strength.

“(Tris is) really brave and willing to break boundaries for the things she believes in. She’s a really strong heroine; she runs her own show,” said fan Alex Steinke, 19, of Farmington, who attended the premiere.

The popularity of “Divergent” has drawn inevitable comparisons to “Hunger Games” — a series of books made into blockbuster movies — also set in a dystopian future with a strong female protagonist.

Before the first “Divergent” movie was released, sequels were already been planned. “Insurgent,” based on the second book, is scheduled for a March 20, 2015, release, and “Allegiant,” based on the third book, is scheduled for a March 18, 2016 release.

Phifer compared and contrasted the two franchises.

“We’re basically the same genre, but I think we also have an adult element that grown people will really like,” he said. “It deals with a lot of adult themes — it deals with politics, it deals with socio-economics, it deals with discovering who you are. It also talks about coming into adulthood — that’s what the whole thing is about,” he said. “I saw the film. It’s very good. A lot of people who’ve seen it think it’s a little more concise than the book — and the book is a wonderful book. I’m very proud of the fact that we did such a good job with this thing.”

Phifer said his eldest son, Omikaye, 14, is a big fan of the books and was excited his father’s playing Max.

“He’s in ninth grade, so his peers are very excited,” he said. “This is the first time he’s ever been excited about me doing anything.”